The Kings trading for Ja Morant would be just the latest disaster in a series of disasters

The The Sacramento Kings are not a very well run franchise, although longtime NBA fans would already know that. They managed to screw up their playoff team that brought the entire city of Sacramento to its feet in 2023, and now it looks like they’re going to start over.

But this The Kings front office is stubborn beyond belief. They allegedly kicked the tires on a I Morant trade in the midst of the former All-Star point guard’s turbulent season with the Memphis Grizzlies, and it’s simply a disaster waiting to happen for a team that has been the face of professional basketball mismanagement for the past two decades.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the disastrous decisions the Kings have made since they made the playoffs in 2023 (ending their 2006-22 drought) and why adding Morant will only make things worse for them.

Mistake One: The Kings overreacted to missing the 2024 NBA playoffs

You’d think the Kings would have crapped the bed so much during the 2023-24 season because of the way they overreacted after missing the playoffs. As a refresher, Sacramento won 46 games during that aforementioned campaign — just two games less than when they won the division in 2023 and pushed the Golden State Warriors (the defending champions at the time) to seven games in the first round.

The Kings lost in the playoffs to the New Orleans Pelicans in the battle for the eighth seed, but won the match 9/10 in the rematch against the Warriors. Their front five of De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis worked, and Malik Monk was so good that he warranted Sixth Man of the Year consideration.

Instead of simply running with that team’s good vibes, the Kings decided to chase name value instead of prioritizing continuity.

They moved Barnes away in a sign-and-trade for DeMar DeRozanand then they bafflingly dealt Davion Mitchell, their former lottery pick and a good defensive piece off the bench, along with several picks and young guys (including Toronto Raptors rotation Jamal Sheed) in exchange for Jaylen McDaniels, who is now out of the league.

DeRozan has been one of the best scorers in the league over the past few seasons, but he’s not the difference between 46 wins and a 55-win campaign that would have seen the Kings finish in the top three in a loaded Western Conference.

Barnes was a key part of that locker room and a consummate pro who fits into any type of lineup as an off-ball threat who could do some damage off the dribble. Meanwhile, DeRozan needs the ball and isn’t nearly as good as Barnes — requiring the Kings to change their game.

Having DeRozan around also took the touch away from Fox and Sabonis, and the Kings were built around those two. Make no mistake, DeRozan is a good player, but not what the Kings needed at the time.

Second mistake: Prioritizing Zach LaVine in the De’Aaron Fox trade

The Kings went 13-18 last season when 2023 NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown was fired. In came Doug Christie to try and save the Kings’ season.

But at that moment, Fox had no intention of lingering in Sacramento. He said that if he plays under a different head coach while in a Kings uniform, he will set out to find a new team. This led to his eventual trade request and his eventual trade to the San Antonio Spurs.

Trading Fok is not a problem. The timing of that deal isn’t even that concerning because the Kings wanted someone who no longer wanted to be a part of the team to leave. But the fact that the Kings got Zach LaVine as a major player in the trade is so confusing. They didn’t even get any good young players from Spurs, nor did they go for it.

The one first-round pick they received (from the Charlotte Hornets) was lottery-protected and would have turned into two second-round picks if they didn’t pass on them. (It just happened.) The Spurs’ first-round pick in 2027 probably won’t be a good one, because San Antonio is on the rise. The 2031 Minnesota Timberwolves first-rounder could be good, too, but it would literally take more than half a decade before it would bear fruit.

now, LaVine appears to have negative trade value. His body language isn’t very promising, and his production is up and down amid the Kings’ inconsistency. And to make matters worse, he is making the total of $96.6 million through next season.

Third mistake: Playing point guard on musical chairs, de-prioritizing Domantas Sabonis

This one may take the cake for making the most confusing decisions any front office was responsible for this past offseason. At least the New Orleans Pelicans, the team that gave up their 2026 first-round pick in a draft night trade for Derrick Quinn, at least look like they have one of the best youngsters in the league. For the Kings, their mismanagement of assets is simply ridiculous.

After trading Fox, the Kings handed the point guard position to Malik Monk. Monk average 18.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. He’s not a traditional point guard, but he’s at least a good player who deserves more respect than the Kings have given him.

But all offseason, the Kings shopped Monk. They were putting him in trade packages for Jonathan Cummings and Dennis Schroeder. And now, Monk is getting no love in the rotation.

Even with Monk on the roster, the Kings decided to sign Schroeder to a three-year, $45 million contract. Schroder impressed to finish last season, so giving him the starting point guard role made sense. But what wasn’t was the preseason signing of Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook still has plenty of gas left in the tank, but they have so many options at the point guard position that they didn’t need him on the roster. He was very productive this season, that’s for sure, but the likes of Schroeder, Monk, Keon Ellis and Devin Carter have had to take a back seat as a result.

Furthermore, with Westbrook there as a ball-dominant option, Sabonis was moved to roll-man duties. DeRozan and LaVine touch the ball less. And Monk and Schroeder’s values ​​have only gone down since then.

Kings front office, don’t trade for Ja Morant

Morant looks like the type of talented point guard who will thrive under a veteran head coach who can reel it in. Someone like Rick Carlisle or maybe even Ime Udoka or Doc Rivers could get the best of General Grizzly.

But the Kings lack so much stability on multiple levels that it doesn’t make sense to bring in Morant’s chaos to make things even more complicated for the team. Considering how incoherent that part of the team is from a basketball perspective, bringing in Morant to try to stay semi-competitive instead of fixing his roster hangups and turning to youth would be foolish.

Make no mistake, Morant is an excellent player when locked in and healthy. However, the Kings don’t have the infrastructure to maximize his talents. They’re better off just blowing everything up and starting over instead of taking a chance and making things worse for themselves if their gambit doesn’t pan out.